


Lumos - one shot collection

by Little_Dragon_Writes



Series: Lumos - one shots & short stories [1]
Category: Scarlet Kaida
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Random prompt, bus inspiration, cosmo pov, lumos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-04-29 01:05:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14461767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Dragon_Writes/pseuds/Little_Dragon_Writes
Summary: I dunno guys, don't expect so much of this short story (real short for once lol), i was in the bus, listening to Soldier by Valley and then the idea of Lucy wearing Cosmo's hoodies and clothes popped up in my head and i started to think about it and i had to get those sentences out of my head so here you go.Enjoy this and the 15th chapter of Scarlet Kaida that i posted too <3(I think it takes place in a modern AU, dunno how old the two are, maybe in their 20s, maybe Merryn is a hellhound, maybe she's just a normal hound, just don't think about it too much and enjoy the Lumos content like me XD)~and please leave me feedbacks, i'm like super unsecure about this, it hasn't been beta (just like 15th) and i'm not used to write such stuff so i'll take all the love and critics.So? *hides behind the table and steals the remaining waffles was the fam is out to run*I have seriously no idea where that prompt kept from and i usually intended for it to stop before cosmo comes down the stair but i thought it'd be too short so... i kept on going. If you have ideas for what could happen after, do tell :) maybe you can inspire more parts mike with A Cute Alien With Freckles. I don't know. Maybe.





	1. Sunday mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno guys, don't expect so much of this short story (real short for once lol), i was in the bus, listening to Soldier by Valley and then the idea of Lucy wearing Cosmo's hoodies and clothes popped up in my head and i started to think about it and i had to get those sentences out of my head so here you go.  
> Enjoy this and the 15th chapter of Scarlet Kaida that i posted too <3
> 
> (I think it takes place in a modern AU, dunno how old the two are, maybe in their 20s, maybe Merryn is a hellhound, maybe she's just a normal hound, just don't think about it too much and enjoy the Lumos content like me XD)
> 
> ~and please leave me feedbacks, i'm like super unsecure about this, it hasn't been beta (just like 15th) and i'm not used to write such stuff so i'll take all the love and critics.
> 
> So? *hides behind the table and steals the remaining waffles was the fam is out to run*
> 
> I have seriously no idea where that prompt kept from and i usually intended for it to stop before cosmo comes down the stair but i thought it'd be too short so... i kept on going. If you have ideas for what could happen after, do tell :) maybe you can inspire more parts mike with A Cute Alien With Freckles. I don't know. Maybe.

Lucy had always stolen his clothes. She had always stolen his hoodies because they were bigger and comfier, had often stolen his jeans because they had more practical pockets and she could actually carry stuff in them. So the fact that she was currently wearing one his sweatshirts shouldn’t change anything. He was used to it.

Except it _did_ change things.

It _was_ different. Because a week ago he had finally had had the guts to ask her out and she was now his girlfriend. Lucy wasn’t anymore his friend who didn’t even bother to ask anymore to search through his drawers, she was his girlfriend now and Cosmo had still to adjust to the change.

Her big chocolate eyes stared down at him once more, her head tilted as if she was waiting for an answer to a question he had completely forgotten. Her long brown hair, still not combed, were falling from her usual morning messy bun onto her shoulders.

The shutters were only half opened but the sunlight still managed to illuminate the bedroom and he could see the long sleeves of his navy blue hoodie rolled up on her elbows and that she was wearing one of her favorite red shorts.

“So,” she asked probably for the second times, “what do you want?”

“Huh?”

It’s only then that Cosmo noticed the spatula in her hand and heard the music coming from the staircase - probably from the kitchen. Given the hour she was surely listening to The Greatest Showman’s soundtrack and was trying to make breakfast.

“Pancakes or waffles?”

“Waffles.” Cosmo deadpanned, finally focusing back on the real world.

“Good!”

And with that she kissed him and jumped off the bed, already racing down the stairs with Merryn. He heard the hound’s victorious howl barely thirty seconds later. Those two had found each other perfectly and Cosmo often wondered if the saying ‘like master like dog’ had been made for them because the two of them shared the same bright and dorky spirit. That, and the fact that they were both stomachs on legs.

Cosmo scoffed, shoving away the sleep from his eyes. Nothing much had changed since they were together and Cosmo was starting to wonder if their friends had been right all along on the fact that they should have gotten together beforehand. How come did they know that when he had only understood his feelings two months ago?

Had he been that oblivious until now?

Probably.

Cosmo smiled into his pillows and grabbed a shirt, ready to eat whatever Sunday Treats she had prepared - a tradition from her childhood that had grown with her and that she had all the intention of keeping until the end of times.

When he arrived in the kitchen, she was humming and preparing her dough, Merryn sat at her feet, patiently waiting for her breakfast too. Cosmo rolled his eyes at the ‘innocent puppy eyes’ display she was making.

_Merryn… You are insufferable._

“I hope you’re hungry,” Lucy told him, never breaking her gaze away from her waffle iron, “Because I may have made more than needed.”

“You think?” Cosmo chuckled, staring at the fresh made chocolate cookies, at the apple pie in the oven and at the waffles dough dripping for her ladle.

“On my behalf though,” she defended herself while she threw the first waffle into the air for Merryn to catch, “Sammy, Jijii and Lo are coming over this afternoon so we need food.”

“Of course. Make sure you don’t eat everything before they arrive though,” he teased as he unlocked his arms from her waist to head toward the table. Merryn followed after him and he doubted it was to help him grab plates and glasses. The hound was always looking for food.

“You hypocrite!” Lucy shrieked, whipping her head around and pointing her spatula at him, “ _You_ were the one to eat everything last time!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yup.”

“Whatever you say.”

“That’s the truth,” she pouted, crossing her arms on her chest.

“Sure Princess, sure.”

“Duh. I’m always right.”

Cosmo laughed but didn’t say anything more. Besides, the delicious smells coming from the kitchen  and the awesome songs coming from the speakers were too distracting for him to win an argument with her. Especially if it was morning. He was definitely too tired for that.

If one of them wasn’t numb with sleep, it was Merryn and she kept running all around the house, excited (but when wasn’t she?) for them to get ready.

A few more waffles engulfed later, the three of them went out for their daily jog before the arrival of their friends. Merryn dashed in front of them, autumn’s leaves flying in her trail. It didn’t took long for both him and Lucy to race after her, their feet almost floating over the asphalt.

Nothing much may have changed indeed, but Cosmo was loving every second of it.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? *hides behind the table and steals the remaining waffles was the fam is out to run*
> 
> I have seriously no idea where that prompt kept from and i usually intended for it to stop before cosmo comes down the stair but i thought it'd be too short so... i kept on going. If you have ideas for what could happen after, do tell :) maybe you can inspire more parts mike with A Cute Alien With Freckles. I don't know. Maybe.
> 
> Anyways, i hope you liked that random prompt.


	2. Night terrors

Geo curled on the couch, enjoying the lingering warmth of the fireplace. It was pouring rain outside, lulling her into a soothing and relaxing atmosphere. She enjoyed those moments when she was safe inside the house while the elements raged outside, listening peacefully to the rain hitting the window.

Well, peacefully. That was without counting on her older brother and his annoying habits of shoving his never-ending legs right where she was dozing off.

“Isaac!” she growled, “can’t you go annoy someone else, I’m trying to rest here.”

Isaac didn’t acknowledge her and only settled further into the cushions, his eyes buried in his notes. Geo didn’t know what it was this time. He was already ahead in all his Physics class and he had been studying aeronautics lately. Just when she was about to knock him off the couch, she heard a knock on the door.

She didn’t believe it at first, thought it was a sound from the storm – it was also late into the night and only she and Cosmo were still awake in the house, no one would be knocking at their door in the middle of the night, right? Especially when such a storm was still raging outside. But when the pounding on the door intensified, she exchanged a look with her brother before standing up and opening the door.

The wind pushed the door wide open, shoving rain into her face. Geo’s eyes went wide when she saw who was standing there, shivering on the threshold, eyes wide with fear. Lucy’s clothes were drenched and Geo had trouble telling if it was rain or tears on her cheeks. She had never seen the girl in such a state.

“Lucy, what are you doing here?!” The captain of her volleyball team didn’t answer and ran past her to come into the Sanz house.

“Geo close the goddamn door!” Isaac’s stomping footsteps could be heard coming from the living room. Lucy’s head whipped toward the sound and when he appeared around the corner, she dashed forward and crashed into him. He tried to step back, jolting at the touch of her frozen hands and wet shirt.

Geo rushed to her room to grab a blanket and a dry hoodie when she realized Lucy wasn’t even wearing a jacket. For what Geo could tell Lucy could have just as well been out there in the storm with her freaking pajamas. What the hell was wrong with her?! In the living room, Lucy burst into tears, clinging desperately to Isaac.

Isaac was confused, lost and utterly helpless. One moment he’d been sitting on the couch with his sister and now Lucy was there, completely soaked with rain and bloody crying against his chest. What the fuck was going on?

Unable to get any answer from the young woman he cursed and put his arms around her, trying to calm her down so she would start speaking. Isaac didn’t like when people cried around him, he’d usually leave right away to let them deal with their emotions or ask someone else to take care of them. Lucy was always bugging him about his coldness and inexistent human relationship skills but she stuck with him anyways and to see her like this, to see her so panicked and acting so strange and wrong and… It tugged at his stomach. He didn’t like seeing her like this.

Geo came back a second later, dropping a plaid on Lucy’s shivering shoulders and Lucy finally looked up, her eyes read with tears. She could barely speak, her words cut short with every erratic breath she took.

“I had… I thought… I... I couldn’t… I’m sorry I shouldn’t have but I…”

“Lucy what’s going on?” Geo asked with a soft voice, rubbing her captain’s back energetically. “Why are you here?”

“Eurwyn, he…”

“Is something wrong with your brother? Did something happen?”

“No, no, he…” Lucy tried to take a deep breath, one hand against her chest and another to her temple she took a few seconds before she started again. “He wasn’t there, he usually helps when those things happen but he wasn’t… He wasn’t there and the storm and I couldn’t breathe I…”

Isaac stared curiously at his sister when her eyes softened, as if she seemed to finally understand what was happening. “Nightmare?”

He was about to argue that a nightmare couldn’t responsible for her state but Lucy sniffled, nodding against Issaac’s -now wet- shirt. “When I woke up, I tried to calm down but I was alone and the storm was so strong I couldn’t even think and I…”

“And you what?” Isaac snapped, grasping Lucy’s shoulder to stare at her into the eyes, “Thought it was a good idea to run outside in the middle a fucking rainstorm to our house?! Lucy what the hell?! You’re gonna catch a fucking pneumonia!”

She flinched, tears gathering in her eyes once again as she punched his chest in frustration. “And what else could I do?” she hiccupped between two sobs, “What else could I do when you don’t have a phone, you idiot!”

And it’s only then that Isaac recalled something Geo had told him once. Something about Jijii and Lucy and how the captain had had a panic attack in middle of practice and they’d had a hard time calming her down.

He bit his lip and looked away, ashamed of his comment when she had obviously been so distraught by whatever she had seen to come and check on him. Lucy’s fingers were still holding so tight to his wrist it was starting to hurt. As if hearing his thoughts, she stepped back, keeping her tight fists against her chest.

“I’m sorry, it was stupid… I’m sorry I worried you. I shouldn’t have come, I should probably head back.”

“Like hell you are, Cap,” Geo replied before he could. “You’re staying here tonight. I’ll send a text to Jijii to tell her to come pick you up in the morning. She’s always here to help when your brother can’t, right?”

“Yes, but I’m telling you, it’s fine now don’t… don’t send her a text. If she sees it, she’ll just drive here right away and I don’t want her to worry. I don’t want to be out in this weather, either.” As if on cue, thunder started rumbling outside, sending more shivers down Lucy’s spine. “I’ll be fine…”

“Lucy, you-”

Isaac set a hand on his sister’s shoulder and shook his head. “It’s fine, Geo. I’ll call Jijii in the morning, how about you give her some dry clothes before we add another frozen corpse in the living room while I go and make some hot drinks okay.” Sometimes, every two centuries, Isaac’s older sibling instincts took over and he was actually able to make some good decisions.

“Another?” Lucy stared at him, confused. A wink was the only response he got from him.

“Come with me, Luce,” Geo stood up. “You can take a hot shower too, if you want.”

The two girls came downstairs a few minutes later, Lucy now wearing a dry pair of pants and the warm varsity jacket of their school. She hadn’t taken a shower but Geo seemed to have dried her hair at least and combed them a little.

When Lucy’s eyes shied away as Isaac handed her a steaming cup of hot chocolate, he knew she was coming back to her sense slowly. The Lucy Kyra he knew couldn’t handle his _gorgeous_ gaze more than three seconds, that was just common knowledge – or maybe he made every of their study time into a starring game and kept tabs on her score? Maybe.

The three of them headed back into the living room and sat on the couch – Geo preferring to sit on the old armchair where the heat of the fire was always almost unbearable. She threw a few more logs in the heat too.

Both siblings remained silent, allowing Lucy to settle down. The only sound in the room came from the cracking fire and the rain pattering against the window, interrupted every so often by the careful sips Lucy took from her steaming cup. Chocolate seemed to have a powerful soothing effect on her and Isaac was suddenly glad he had bought some at the grocery store the other day. Isaac just hadn’t expected the next time she’d drop by would be in the middle of the night, soaked from head to toe.

Life was full of surprise.

 _Lucy Kyra_ , was full of surprise.

When Lucy finally drifted back to sleep after an hour, Geo got up and grabbed her phone, sending a text to Jijii right away, knowing Lucy would need her best friend in the morning. Her worried gaze lingered on Lucy’s sleeping silhouette, holding to the cushion like an anchor.

“You know,” she started, tilting her head toward her brother. “When I saw her outside, I thought you had broken her heart or something and I already would need to find a way to make you pay for that.”

“We’re not even dating.”

“Right.”

“We’re just friends, Geo.”

“For now. You said the same thing last time and I had to pick up the pieces. I don’t want to pick up yours when Jijii will come to kick your ass.”

Isaac scoffed but didn’t reply.

“She cares enough about you to come at night for reassurance and to calm down. So, you better not add her to the list of your victims, _hermano_. Or you’ll have a share amount of angry volleyball players on your trail for breaking their best player.”

Geo didn’t wait for his answer and headed back upstairs where her parents were starting to wake up with the commotion.

Isaac stayed in the living room, he still had to complete his aeronautics study after all.

That’s what he told himself, anyway. Trying not to think too much about his sister’s words or Lucy sleeping beside him. No matter if Lucy was interested in him or not, Isaac had no doubt Lucy’s teammates would still give him hell for it because there was no way Lucy wouldn’t end up sick after tonight. 


	3. Targets acquired

“Is everyone here?” Eurwyn asked from the kitchen. Meanwhile, Matt was bewitched by the corn popping in the popcorn machine Elden had acquired a few months ago. One of the things he loved the most about the Kyra’s family was their unashamed nerdiness and from the children to their parents, they were all dorks. There was only Elden Kyra to spend hours repairing an old popcorn machine he had found in a flea market in a neighboring town.

“We’re still waiting for Ralph and Cindy to come back from practice,” Jijii answered, the familiar clanking of bottles accompanying her words.

Ralph? Cindy? Matt looked up at Eurwyn in confusion, he knew he hadn’t been dating Eurwyn for long but he had never heard of those people. Maybe some friend of Jijii’s or could it be other teammates of Lucy’s or Eurwyn’s? After all, when it came to playing Monsters and Mana, the more the merrier.

As if on cue, someone knocked on the door and new voices could be heard in the living room. Matt could already hear Lo’s laughter and Jijii’s complaints about the newcomers’ smell. 

Eurwyn took the bowl of warm popcorns with him and took Matt’s arm before joining them. “Finally,” Eurwyn joked on a teasing tone, “we almost waited for…”

Eurwyn didn’t get to finish his sentence and barely had the time to hand the bowl to Matt before a blurry shadow crushed onto him. A disgusted yelp escaped his lips. “Bitch! Get the fuck away from me!”

Lucy - because it was her - laughed at her twin brother’s reaction and took a step back. Her cleats around her neck so she wouldn’t dirty the house’s floor, she greeted Matt with a big smile. “Hiya, Mathew! Glad you made it for tonight!”

“Says the one who’s late.”

“A queen is never late,” a new voice claimed in unison as Lucy pointed a finger at her brother.

“I won, bitch!” Lucy teased, stealing a handful of popcorns under Matt’s nose before she turned to the boy that had entered the house. The young man was a head taller than Lucy, his team uniform covered in mud like Lucy’s. It had rained earlier, and Matt could only understand they’d been the one the others had been waiting for all along.

Even if she wasn’t facing him anymore, Matt could still imagine the big teasing grin Lucy sent to the young man - if only,  _ Cindy’s _ rolling eyes could only be proof of it.

“You cheated and took a shortcut I didn’t know.”

“Don’t try and find excuses Cindy, you’ll always be running late~” She shrieked when he shoved his smelly jacket into her face but it didn’t stop a warm laughter from bubbling out of her lips.

“Go shower you stinky brats, before the smell of wet dog lingers into the house!”

“Jijii, always so poetic.”

“Love you too, Isaac.”

Before the two of them could continue any further, Eurwyn pushed both Lucy and Isaac in the bathrooms’ directions so they’d take a much-needed shower. Lucy grabbed her stuff in her room before climbing upstairs to their parent’s bedroom while Isaac took his shower in Eurwyn’s bathroom at the end of the corridor.

It seemed as if Isaac knew the house by heart already, and Matt figured the boy must have known Lucy for quite a while to be so at ease at both her place and around her group of friends and family. It’s only later, that Matt learned that, in fact, Lucy had only known Isaac for the past two years and they had only started to spend more time together after they had met at one of the regional tournaments where both his and Lucy’s team had won in their own categories a few months ago.

“So where does the nickname Cindy come from,” Matt asked, eager to learn more while they all

waited for Lucy and Isaac to come back so they could start to play. Matt loved to play Monsters and Mana, and so did Eurwyn.

“I don’t know if you’re ready to know,” Jijii trailed, “Can we really explain that secret to you, young man?”

“He’s older than you, Jijii,” Eurwyn deadpanned, never able to not spare with Jijii. No matter when Matt looked, it always seemed as Eurwyn and Jijii were always battling with each other, let it be by words or gaze. Those two were impossible.

“Shut up, Fetus Boy.” And then they were arguing again.

“Someone would think after so many years knowing each other they would stop bickering like children...” a girl stated on his right. Aria if he remembered right, one of Isaac’s friends.

“... But they will never change,” Lo chuckled slightly. “You should have seen them in the first days, they fought constantly and Lucy and I always had a hard time stopping them.”

“Really?” Matt wondered what it could have been, even if the brunette and his boyfriend still fought, it seemed as if it was only- what was Eurwyn’s term already? Oh yes. Friendly jousting.

Seeing them argue together, Matt was starting to understand where Eurwyn’s love for debate and strong oratory skills were coming from; Jijii was a strong opponent who always seemed to have the last word even when the whole thing seemed to only be a childish display of two kids fighting over something that seemed silly to everyone else.

“But if you want to know about Lucy and Cosmo’s nicknames, well…” Aria seemed to start searching for her words, searching for the best way to tell this story which, judging by the tug at the corner of her lips could only bring fun memories to her.

“Basically,” Lo started to explain, “Lucy met Cosmo at the stadium one day and the coach decided to make both rugby teams play against each other, so they would learn from one another and improve their teamwork.”

“Not only did the girls win - a thing the boys and their ego had to deal with for a few days - but

Isaac, as it happens in many games, lost his shoe in one of the scrums. Lucy’s been calling him Cinderella ever since, Cindy for short.”

“And it stuck. Everyone’s kinda calling him that way now, without really knowing where it comes from.”

“You should have seen Isaac face when he came back that day,” Aria laughed, “had never seen him so eloquent in a long while.”

“How about Lucy then? Is there a reason behind her nickname?”

“That’s just one of Cosmo’s many names for her,” Jijii explained, finally done sparring with Eurwyn. “I don’t think those two ever call each other by their name. Don’t try and even find sense behind it.”

Isaac appeared behind Matt and answered for her. “I call her Wreck it Ralph cause she’s so fucking aggressive. That’s it.”

Lucy was hot on his heels. “I’m not aggressive, he’s lying.”

“Princess, are you already forgetting about all the times you threw your damn brush at my face? One day my fanbase is gonna start asking about those bruises on my perfect body.”

“It’s true, sis,” Eurwyn scoffed, not caring once about sibling solidarity - which was one of the biggest lies in history to be honest - and added, “you’re always throwing stuff around.”

“I’m just testing gravity,” Lucy claimed.

The group laughed at Lucy’s pout but welcomed her around the table anyways. Once she was settled on the couch between Isaac and Jijii, the seven of them finally started playing one of the most exhilarating Monster and Mana game Matt had been given to play.

He was gonna enjoy spending time with his boyfriend’s circle that was for sure.

<//>

Matt gasped at Eurwyn’s statement. The two of them were back in the kitchen, retrieving the frozen pizza in the refrigerator for their hungry friends. “What do you mean they’re not dating?”

“Because they’re not, Matt,” Eurwyn laughed. “Welcome the club, it’s like everyone knows except them. You’re not the first to believe they’re together.”

“Damn. Never thought I’d get to meet someone more oblivious than you, babe. Is it a twin thing? A gene that runs deep in the family?”

“Shut up.” Eurwyn shoved the pizzas into the oven, trying to ignore Matt’s laughter as he did so. “But yeah, Lucy, well both, to be honest, are so oblivious it hurts.”

“That’s an understatement! I’ve barely spent three hours with the both of them and it’s already so obvious to me! How can they  _ not  _ see how they behave around each other?”

“The worst part? Even for someone who plays such a contact sport, Isaac hates it when people get in his personal space.”

“She was sleeping in his lap, though. Don’t think I didn’t see that. When he realized she had dozed off on his shoulder he moved on the couch so she’d be more comfortable. Had his finger running through her hair all night long after that.”

“Yeah I know, only my sister gets special treatment.”

“I can’t believe you all haven’t teased them about it already. It’s like they’re already together!”

“I know right?” Eurwyn exclaimed, “They’re bickering like an old married couple all the time, flirt 24/7 without even realizing and are both crazy enough to enjoy playing under such a shitty weather to run after a ball. I swear they’re like meant to be but they’re too blind to see it.”

“Shouldn’t the good you are open her eyes on the situation?”

Eurwyn sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know… I don’t think I will. She looks happy like that and I’m honestly surprised to see her so at ease around him. He has quite the reputation with girls after all. But if I were to even mention it to her, she’d start overthinking everything and be awkward around him.”

“Would it be a bad thing, though?”

Eurwyn laughed. “ _ Terrible _ . I think my sister gets the higher scores in both obliviousness and awkwardness. You should see her with the other boys. She’s been playing with and against them for nearly eight years now and she still gets so awkward around them it’s hilarious.”

“You can’t be serious. Lucy Kyra, captain of the rugby and volleyball teams,  _ afraid  _ of a bunch of students?” 

“Yeah, as soon as she steps out of the field, she totally transforms. You could die if second-hand embarrassment caused death.” Eurwyn paused. “To be honest, I don’t really know if she’s ready for it just yet. Her last relationship it… It didn’t quite end well so I don’t want to rush things for her just based on a hunch.”

“Then we start slow,” Matt thought aloud, “We could start to investigate on Isaac’s side first.”

“Exactly.”

Matt looked at Eurwyn’s grin. “So, you don’t disapprove of me playing matchmaker with them?”

“Duh, of course not. If someone can get them to finally admit they’re meant to be, it’s you, Matt! I just don’t want us to force something that isn’t here that’s all.”

“Awesome,” Matt smirked before kissing Eurwyn, already scheming plans to learn more about his new targets and achieve his new mission. He found Eurwyn’s care for his sister adorable, he really wanted what was best for her - and Matt was persuaded Isaac Sanz was part of the equation. And as if to confirm his theory, both Isaac and Lucy appeared in the kitchen - the first giving a piggyback to the other so they could come and steal the pizza from their grasp.

Eurwyn rolled his eyes as Lucy’s makeshift sword and handed her the first pizza to her. She cheered, claiming her victory to the others who were still in the living room.

Those two are unbelievable, Matt thought. “Just friends, huh?” 

Eurwyn shrugged, “Just friends.”

Matt kept himself from rubbing his hands together. This was definitely going to be entertaining.

  
  



	4. Endangered brain cells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac has been working for hours in his office; willing to do something nice for her husband, Lucy knocks on at the door with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. When she walks in, however, she realises Isaac is on the verge of a mental breakdown. Cause of his misery? Engineering. Always.

Lucy stood in the kitchen, her eyes focused on the coffee machine as Isaac’s precious liquid poured slowly in his favorite cup. Even if he would always say that it wasn’t his favorite as she liked to call it, she wouldn’t listen to him and his poor defensive arguments. “There is no such thing as a favorite mug, Lucy,” he’d argue. “It’s foolish.”

But as foolish as he found Lucy’s statement -who had her very own collection of favorite mugs and hierarchy of moments in order to use them during the day -, Isaac always used this specific mug. It had nothing special, probably bought at IKEA a few years back when they had first moved in together but no matter what, Isaac always went for this one. Isaac was a man of science but he was also a man of habit. His liking for this mug was proof enough to Lucy. She wouldn’t change her opinion on the matter. He would never be able to change her mind.

In the kitchen, the coffee machine finally stopped as the last drop of coffee dropped in Isaac’s cup. The man was currently buried in his work and hadn’t stepped out of his office –cavern was a more appropriate word lately– in a while. Lucy and Merryn, who had been lying on the couch, catching up with their Netflix watch list all afternoon, had decided it was about time they’d check on their mad scientist.

The Shiloh Shepherd on her trail, Lucy grabbed the cup of coffee, a plate of cookies and tangerine slices and knocked on the door of her husband’s office.

No answer.

When she opened the door, she expected to see him sitting behind his computer, jotting notes over plans or looking through the window. She definitely didn’t expect him to be standing in the middle of the room in front of a stack of books he’d been piling up.

“Cosmo, what the fuck are you doing?”

Putting the last book on the stack -his collector edition of _A Brief History of Time_ if Lucy could trust her eyes- Isaac finally looked up. “Bae, look. I’ve made a bridge. Of books.”

Lucy didn’t know what to feel concerned about first: the exhaustion in his eyes, or the childish pout on his face as she didn’t seem to approve of his latest creation.  

“Cosmo, do you sleep at night?”

“Sleep? Who?”

Lucy sighed, “oh dear, you’re worse than my kids.” Carefully putting aside both the plate and the cup on his messy desk, she grabbed his hand between hers and looked him in the eyes. “What’s wrong, honey?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, his slipped his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder. She could feel his weight on her, threatening to make her fall. She quickly regained her balance.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”

“No. Too much is going wrong. I am not bothered. Otherwise it would mean I’m letting a stupid goddamn annoying fucking useless paper get the better of me.”

“Okay. sure, not annoyed then. Pissed?”

He groaned. “I’m stupid and I can’t do _anything_.”

“Right. Sure,” she answered, rolling her eyes as his drama attitude showed up. “What about that bridge you just built, huh? It’s not nothing to my eyes. Hope you’re ready to clean that mess before Merryn tries to do it for you, though.”

He snorted.  

“Playtime is over babe, you gotta go back to work now. I brought you coffee. If that can help.”

“It’s not playing. It’s creativity.” He turned to show off his work, keeping one arm around her. “Look how pretty this bridge is. So perfect. Not like me. I wish it existed so I could just jump from it.”

She elbowed him. “Will you ever stop that? What got all you all broody all of a sudden?”

“I’m not brooding.”

“You’re pouting. And I don’t know what’s more worrying. Didn’t you tell me you had work to do? I thought car safety was on the list, not a bridge made of our books. So, tell me, what’s putting you in such a state?”

“The world. Math. Everything.”

“What’s new.”

Cosmo dropped to the ground and sighed once more, resting his chin on his wrists, contemplating his masterpiece. “Why am I even doing this job? Why did I think engineering was a good thing?” He turned to her, his blue eyes pleading, filled with a mixture of hope as if she was the one holding all the answers.

I’m not Google, she wanted to answer. “Stop looking at me with those puppy eyes of yours. You choose the math path and even though I’ll never understand that love for equation of yours, I know you love it. So, cut the crap, your madness is nothing new.”

“You’re no different when you have writer’s block.”

“Fair enough.”

“Did you mention coffee?”

“I did. Want a dose of your magic potion?”

“I do, thank you.”

“Oh, but mister, I’m not bringing it to you. It’s waiting for you on your desk. Get up and get it yourself.”

“Why,” he whined. “Please.”

“No. Now get up kiddo, you’ve got work to do.”

“No.”

“Get up.”

“Make me.”

A grin flashed on Lucy lips. “Oh, you shouldn’t have said that.”

She glanced at the wall where a photo hung as a reminder of her college years. Isaac and Lucy were both in their rugby jerseys, their face flushed from running. Lucy’s hair had fallen out of her perfectly kept braid during the game but she didn’t seem to mind, holding the ball proudly as her coach took the picture. She had won her first game as captain that day.

Lucy had always loved sports and even if she didn’t have much time to play anymore, she kept working out, she’d have no problem dragging him back, if it came down to it.

And Isaac knew that too. He was already groaning in protest as she approached him.

She knew he’d get into trouble at work if he didn’t finish now, or that he’d earn a new all-nighter by trying to catch up with his procrastination.  

“Come on get up, fat ass.”

He threw a paper ball at her in response.

“Really?”

Merryn caught it between her teeth the second time he threw. Lucy caught the third and threw it back at his face. “You, my dear husband, are such a child.”

“Am not.”

“Yes, you are.” With beautiful grace, Lucy grabbed Cosmo by the ankles and began dragging him. She was immune to whining children by that point, completely ignoring Cosmo’s similar complaining.

“Lucy,” he trailed, whining, “you’re distracting me from my work.”

“Oh, so now I’m the one distracting you?”

“Yes.”

“Come on, let’s get you in the shower, I promise it’s the best place for ideas to come.”

Even if he was acting like a three-years old, Isaac had no intention of going without a fight and tried to fight her. His fingers slipped on the metal foot? of his bookshelf and he lost his anchor. Lucy kept dragging him, barely struggling with his weight, laughing at his childish behavior.

When he reached for his next choice, however, his arm hit the base of the Bridge of Books masterpiece and everything started to fall over.

Caught by surprise, he tried to protect himself from the falling books and stopped pulling back against Lucy’s grip. Off balance, she flopped to the floor on her turn. She cursed loudly, sending glare at Isaac who remained on the floor, unmoving.

“Happy now?”

“Now you can contemplate my miserableness with me.”

She threw a fallen book at him. “Shut up, you idiot, and go take your shower.”

He grumbled something under this breath, rolling his eyes. Very predictable of him. But she loved him and all of his peculiar quirks. “Fine.”

“Good.”

“With you though.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not taking me with you unless you got the work done. Or actually got up to get to the shower, dumbass.”

“You’re not fun.”

She got back on her feet. “You’ve got a shower to take and a job to finish.”

“Again, not funny, _mi amor_.”

“I never pretended I was, _chéri_.”

“Demon.”

“Ah well, you should have read the last line written in little before signing the contract, love.”

“I hope you’re saving me some cozy place in hell, then.”

“Go back to work.”

“Work, is this the only thing you care about, woman? You only married me for the money, didn’t you?”

“Oh, for sure. Definitely not for your brilliant mind and intellect, or the way you always took care of me and know how to bring joy to every day of my life even when you’re acting like a brat. Nope, definitely not. Money it is, you’re right.”

He sprang to his feet, stealing a kiss from her. “Brilliant mind and intellect, huh?”

“Don’t make me regret boosting your ego.”

“So, you aren’t going to repeat that, then?”

She tried not to be distracted by his sly grin. “I’m afraid not.” Slipping away from his grasp she added, “Come on, I thought designing cars was your favorite thing. You just gotta take care of some security measures. It can’t be _that_ hard compared to designing an entire motor or the last year’s control panel, right?”

His grin was gone in an instant, replaced by his frustrated and annoyed engineer face. The one he always wore when he couldn’t solve a problem. It always got the better of him.

“It’s not just that easy. Physics come in to place and there’s so much formulas and nothing is working like I want it to. If I see yet another failed simulation, I’m going to punch the wall.”

“Can I help you with anything?”

“No don’t worry. Thanks for getting my mind off things for a few minutes, though. I’ll get back to work now.”

“Okay, I know you can do it. I’ll be in the living room with Merryn if you need anything.”

“Don’t worry, I got this.” He winked. “Does the shower offer still hold?”

“There’s no shower offer. Finish your homework.”

“That’s it, go back to your whale documentaries, you ungrateful wife.”

“Orcas aren’t whales you uncultured swine,” Lucy said as she went back to the living room.

He’d never getting tired of saying that it seemed but she found him adorable for acknowledging her own unusual obsessions. He never judged her or them, and he’d listen to her rants about orcas every day if he had to. He always listened to her.

Her enthusiasm and will to gather more and more knowledge on those cetaceans had started with a story she wanted to write, a story she had, in the end, never written until now, but her obsession for orcas hadn’t withered away the slightest. She found them extremely interesting and just like Isaac had mentioned, she would spend hours on YouTube watching documentaries about them.

Two hours later, as she was about to start yet another of those documentaries, Isaac appeared in the living room. Without much warning, he yanked her off the couch, stole a passionate kiss from her, and dragged her to the bathroom where the hot water was already running.

Lucy smiled, kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his grin against her lips.

 _A hot bath it is, then_.


	5. Captivated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a casual Saturday afternoon. Lucy is deep in her book. Isaac is combing her wet and full of knots hair. Their is sound asleep in her room. Everything is perfectly calm for once.

Isaac stared at his wife on their bed. Lying on the mattress, she was wearing a robe, her long wet hair dripping on her back. She didn’t even notice him on the threshold. Her eyes were too focused on the book she was holding. Whatever she was reading, had all her attention and it didn’t seem anything could break her concentration.

She hadn’t even dried nor combed her hair yet. Isaac knew she was going to regret it later when she would struggle against knots even Ophelia’s hairbrush couldn’t break.

By the look of it, it seemed she had started the book in the bathroom, as she usually did when she wanted to relax. As always, it seemed the weak victim she was when it came to books had once again fallen into the trap of a good plot, and wouldn’t stop reading until she hit the last page.

“Lucy?”

No answer. She was too deep in her concentration, and flipped another page. Completely ignoring him.

He wondered what he should say in order to snap her out of it. _Lucy I’m gonna jump out the window._ Lucy, I burned down all your precious books. Or, _Lucy, Merryn is eating your cake._ Perhaps, _Lucy I’m in love with Sage and I’m leaving you now, I’m off to meet her in Paris._

Isaac huffed. Maybe Lucy was right. Maybe he had indeed a death wish. Because if Lucy was to hear any of those, he bet she’d be smacking his head and kicking his ass for even thinking about it. Lucy never liked his death jokes. She didn’t have a taste for that kind of humor. Only Jijii ever did.

Isaac wondered if she’d put it down if Ophelia woke up from her afternoon nap or if she’d pretend, she didn’t hear so he’d go and take care of her. Should he tell her

Lucy squealed and slammed her hand on the mattress. “I knew it! You go, boy!”

Now, Isaac was growing curious. Wondering which character had stolen yet another place in Lucy’s gigantic heart, he went to the bathroom and grabbed a comb, a hairbrush and a dry towel, checked on Ophelia as he crossed the corridor, and went back to the bedroom.

Still deep in her book, Lucy hadn’t moved. She barely looked up when he came to sit on the bed with her.

He settled himself against the headrest and opened his arms. Gladly taking the invitation, Lucy finally shifted sat in his lap. He grabbed the first hair brush and started to comb her hair. It looked even longer when she had just stepped out of the shower. Sitting so close to her, the prominent smell of citrus and verbena, tickled his nose.

Isaac would have never guessed he would enjoy the settled down life. He would have never guessed he’d end up married with a girl like Lucy, never thought about marriage at all, and would have never even imagined himself as a father. And yet, there he was, sitting on his bed on a Saturday afternoon, combing Lucy’s hair as she kept on reading.

When he finally untied the last knot in her wild brown hair, he looped his arms around her waist and settled his chin in the crook of her neck.

Even if he had never imagined it for himself, Isaac wouldn’t want to change any of it for anything. As cliché as it sounded, he loved his settled down life, his wife and their shared routine. He loved the smell that hid behind her ears, loved the frown on her forehead as she flipped another page, and loved her adorable self entirely.

One hour later, Lucy finally slammed the book shut and a frustrated scream of mixed feeling escaped her lips. He quickly put a finger to her lips, a kind reminder that their hurricane of a daughter was finally asleep and that she should keep her book hangover at a low level of sound if she wanted to keep enjoying their sweet moment of peace.

“How was it?”

“A true masterpiece. Fantastic. Epic. Amazing. I want more.”

“It’s not a standalone is it?”

“No, I have to wait another year for the next book. Kill me now, I can’t survive the wait.”

“I can’t do that. If I kill you, you won’t read the next books anyways. Plus, I’d end up in prison, Jijii would find a way to break in and kill me for killing you, and Ophelia would end up in an orphanage because we’d both be gone, and her godmother as well. This isn’t what you want, is it?”

“I hate you,” she grumbled, “you and your perfect reasoning.”

“I love you too, _mi reina_.”

“I love you more.”

And just like that, she nestled in his arms and started dozing off, knowing that in about an hour or so, Ophelia would wake up and require all their attention. Slowly running his hand up and down her drying hair, Isaac fell asleep beside her, a content smile on his lips.

 


End file.
